imperial_projectfandomcom-20200214-history
Name Database
(THIS DOCUMENT IS WRITTEN AS IN SETTING MATERIAL. This would be an actual document used by the Imperial Onmyou Agency in educating young Onmyou on the proper naming conventions in the Empire.) Nittan Names Nittan naming procedure is quite complex if used in the traditional sense, with each individual having a first name, a secondary name attributed to an ancestor and a family name which represents appurtenance to a clan or group. Very few people still use this form nowadays due to linguistic and cultural standardization in the Empire, but a few remote regions still do, along with old military families. Nittan peasants often have last names Nittan last names need to be modified depending on either the person is a man or a woman, with the ending termination changes, with most male names finishing in “-ius” or female names finishing with “-ia”. There are, of course, regional variations. This also leads to foreign names being modified when a citizen moves into Nittan, leading to weird names like Huaius or Sakamotoia. As most Nittan names are barely pronounceable in any other regions of the Empire, they often also take a “travelling” Tarigani name based off their real name. Example first names (Male name shown, female names are modified by replacing the ending us with a, or the name difference is noted next to it) Common names: Rarer names: The first list comes from names commonly found only in the northern border of Nittan. The second list comes from names found usually around the old Nittan capital and the former holdings of the Nittan warlords. First list is for male names, second for female names. Example last names Last names are listed in Apex Alphabetical order, in the nominal form, which is feminine. When attributed to a male, the name ending usually changes to “-ii”. The I and J in the old Nittan alphabet are the same letter, but had a different pronunciation, so are listed together on this list. Yunjin name Yunjin names are composed of a monosyllabic last (or ancestral) name and a duo syllabic surname. It is considered polite to call someone by his title and last name (like Mr. Wang or Father Li) while when talking to someone you know, it is customary to use the full name (like Wang Lirue or Li Xuhuong). It is very poor taste to name one’s child “in honor of” someone like it is often done in Nittan or Tarigani, as the ancestor could take offense to it. Nonetheless, there are some common practices, like naming all the male children in a family with the same first syllable or using the same syllable twice (usually with different kanji being used for each of them) for women. It is also very poorly seen (an actual taboo, but not controlled by the Temple as much as it used to be) to name one’s child after the name of the reigning Mikado, any Son of Heaven or the regional Lord. When a person of Yunjin descent crossed the border to Tarigani territories, they are often “renamed” by any locals who end up reading their name. This comes from the fact the Yunjin kanji have different pronunciation for the Tarigani, and unless they write it out in Katakana (which would still make the name inaccurate most of the time), anybody who would read them and were not aware they were of Yunjin origin would make this honest mistake. The opposite situation is rarer, as Tarigani kanji are somewhat different from Yunjin ones when used in names. Table of syllables Here is a list of syllables used by the Yunjin people to form names, along with their Tarigani pronunciation. Of course, everything is noted in Apex Alphabet. Tarigani Names Traditionally, only members of the noble, warrior class were allowed to carry surnames in both the Ganizoku and Tarizoku tribes. Peasants and other members of the lower class were not allowed to carry a surname, using the name of their town as their surname. After the Imperial Conquest, while this practice remained in place for some time, and with a significant portion of the peasant population still following the old naming scheme, this whole situation made things difficult for the surveys made by the Imperial Bureaucracy, who rapidly forced everyone to adopt an actual surname, leading to a wide variety of actual surnames being used throughout Tarigani territories, ranging to old city and village names to name of warrior clans. First names are also quite varied in the Tarigani cultural zone, often being limited only by the imagination of the parents in combining the kanji to form the name itself. Many girl names end with the –ko, -ka or –mi particle. Most nobles also have what they call a genpukku name, a name they take for themselves upon graduation from their dojo, succeeding at the Bureaucrat exam or any other major, coming of age, period. Those who wish to break away from their past often use only their genpukku name going forward, but those who follow the will of their parents often select a name only as a matter of tradition. List of common Tarigani clan names The first list is a list of common lower class samurai names which are often used by peasants as well. The list is written in common Apex Alphabet to simplify documentation. Prior to the 8th or 9th Imperial Century, most noble last names were preceded by the particule “No” meaning “of the clan” The following is a list of higher samurai names, usually reserved to old families or direct retainers to a Son of Heaven. Some names can be found in both lists, but the spelling might be different or the kanji used to write the name will be different. A peasant with one of those names would represent someone with a direct, blood-tie with one of such family, which is rare. The following is a group of names which surfaces every once in while in samurai retainer families, but are generally fairly rare outside of specific regions. Many of them seem to have Son of Heaven ancestry. Sons of Heaven names The first name used by most Sons of Heaven is taken directly from the region they live in, except for some exceptional ancient names which are kept and reused over the years within a specific subset of the clan, usually the name of one of the first ancestor of the group. This was a step taken by the Mikado to make acclimation to their new land and acceptance by the people easier. Otherwise, the Sons of Heaven last names are all ancient names that came to be during the Conquest and before, sometimes regional translations of those names or derivation of those names. It is highly illegal for anyone that is not of Sons of Heaven blood to take any of those last names in any way, shape or form except with the express consent from the family at hand. One particularity of the Sons of Heaven name is the middle particle of the name, which denotes a nominal progression of birth or an inherited “numeral title” which is a mother is allowed to pass on once each generation. It is the mother which is responsible for choosing this title and particle after she holds the child for the first time after birth. Families without Numeral Titles are usually bound to name their children in order of their birth following the traditional code, but their lord can also grant them a title to grant their children if requested, but those requests are rarely granted outright, usually requiring the permission from an Onmyou to grant them. Sons of Heaven nominal particle The required nominal particle for a Son or Daughter of Heaven is different depending on the sex at birth, but the nominal order is followed at all time, therefore the first son will be “Un” while the first daughter will be “Bee” The Nominal particle Dixit or Jay is also a Nominal title, and when one is given that particle at birth, he can pass it on to his descendant as a mark of pride. There are higher nominal particles, but they are rarely used and are treated like Dix/Jay and become Nominal titles that can be passed on. Those are the most common Nominal Titles in the Empire, seen attached to the name of many of the great family leaders or members of the Imperial family. The title Treize and Zee are special, in that it can only be awarded to the Mikado, one of his descendant or someone that is appointed by Imperial order. Similarly, the title Zero and Ecks is granted to any Son or Daughter of Heaven of unknown origin, either someone whose genetic makeup is proven to be correct yet is not from the Old Guard, someone with massive amnesia that doesn’t remember his name or that doesn’t know of his nominal order due to problems with his birth. Those titles cannot be inherited. The Duo/Trio/Quad titles are used in the case of a multiple birth, especially when the nominal order of birth cannot be asserted, with Duo being used for twins, Trio for triplets and Quads for quadruplets. The title Quint is known to exist, but occurred maybe twice in the history of the Empire. Those titles cannot be inherited, either. Category:Background Category:Culture Category:Nittan Category:Yunjin Category:Tarigani